Amphibian landing gear



July 1, 1930. .1. c. WORTHINGTON 1,759,406

AMP HIBIAN LANDING GEAR Filed Oct. 22, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORJuly 1, 1930.

J. c. WORTHINGTON a AMPHIBIAN LANDING GEAR Filed Oct. 22; 1 28 3Sheets-Sheet 2 I Jul 1, 1 930.

J. C. WORTHINGTON AMPHIBIAN LANDING GEAR File h 22'. 1928 s Sheets-Sheet3 INVENTOR 6.40

Patented 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PA ENT "OFFICE 301m 0. woarnraeaoir; o1-mew 2031:, n. Y. Y

manner m mme em Application filed October 2a, 1928. Serial m. aiaeaa,

Special objects of the present invention are to provide landing gear forairplanes the attachment and mounting of same, so'

that they may be raised or lowered over the landing wheels of'the plane.

Other novel features of the invention will appear as the specificationproceeds.

-In the drawing-accompanying and forming part of the specification, onepractical embodiment of the invention is illustrated, but it should beunderstood that the structure may be .modified as regards thisdisclosure without departure from the-true spirit and broad scope of theinvention. Fig. 1 is a'side elevation of an airplane of the land type asequipped with the invention and modified to form an amphibian type ofplane; Fig. 2 is a broken front elevation showing the floats as loweredover the landing wheels for alighting on water; Fig. 3 is a similar viewshowing the floats raised to expose the landing wheels for, alighting onland; Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary cross sectional views through one ofthe floats ilp lustrating the same in'the raised and lowered positions;Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view and on substantially the plan ofline.6- 6 Fig. 5.

The land plane illustrated is shown asv equipped, as usual, with thelanding wheels 7 and suitable tail skid 8. The wheels are shown carriedby posts in which there may,

beincorporated at 9 the usual shock absorbers. These posts may besuitably braced and connected with the fuselage to carry the landinload.

' ovable over and with respect to the landwheels are the floats 10connected in parlism by cross bars 11, spaced fore and aft a properdistanceand suitably connected with the floats to'hold them firmly in.par- .allel relation. t

The floats have wells 12 for the wheels 6, which,

openings 14 at the bottom to pass the landing wheels when thefloats areraised as in v 3 and 4. These wheel openings are 08.

ted as relatively narrow slots, just wide enough to. freely'pass thewheels'and adapted to be closed by cooperating sliding doors 15, whenthe float is lowered asin Fig. 5. These doors are indicated as slidingin guides 16 down over the inclined bottomllgplrtions of the hullandmeeting at the keel e V Automatic openingland closure of thewheel wellsis effected in t e illustration by means of bell cranks pivotally'supported at 17 on brackets 18 at opposite sides of thewheels 6 havingarms 19 engaging the wheel yokes 20 and longer arms 21 having'pin andslot connections 22 with the slides, The openingand closing action maybe assisted by springs 23 acting on the pivot shafts 17 which carry 7the bell cranks.

The wheel yokes are indicated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 as having edge flanges24 sliding over edge shoulders 25 on the brackets 18,- which bracketstherefore operate as guides over the wheel structures to guide thefloats in their up and down movements and to brace the floats to thelanding gearosts.

Suitable means for quickly lowering or raising the floats are provided,such means being hereillustrated as reversely threaded screw shafts 2'6journalled across the fuselage and. carryingnut blocks 27 to which arep1votally'conn'ected the links 28 pivoted at their lower ends at 29 tothe float gear in line with the cross braces 11. The screw shafts areshown as driven in unison by bevel gearing 30 and upright shafts 31,which latter are turned by spiral gtearing .32 from a-control shaft 33operated y suitable motivepower, or, for instance, by hand crank 34.

It will be seen that operation of the cross screw shafts by the handcrank mechanism described will efiect a drawing together or separationof the nut blocks, and hence a lifting or lowering action of the pivotedlinks connected therewith, 2 and- 3,. for raising the floats to e ose ta landing wheels or for lowering the oats to cover landing l0.

- wheels. In the latter operation, the landing wheel wells will beautomatically closed beneath the wheels and in the first operation thewells will be opened to provide free passage to permit the wheels toproject as'the floats are lifted up over the same. 'Under both sets ofconditions the landing gear is well capable of carrying the landing loadand the shift from one form of landing gear to the other is quickly andpositively accomplished.

In flight, the floats may be lowered to house the landing wheels, orbe'left lowered, if last in use, to preserve the stream lining of theship. While desirable, it is not essential that the wheel wells beclosed watertight as the buoyancy of the floats is preferably sufficientto carry the load even if the wells take in water. While the linkageshown operates satisfactorily to throw the bottom doors open and closedas the floats are lifted-or lowered,

cables or fluid pressure connections or the.

like may be employed for the purpose. Similarly, while the screw shaftand linkage construction disclosed is suitable for the raising andlowering of the floats, holding the same v locked in either relation,other mechanisms v is shown in conjunction with a bi-plane, it

will be obvious that it is equally well adapted for use with a monoplaneor other forms of aerial apparatus.

' The wheel wells may be made selfdraining as by means of suitable ventsor drains so that if they become filled to the water line when the planeis resting on the water, they v will begin to drain as the plane stepsup and will be practically dry by the time the plane leaves the water.Such a drain is indica'tedat 35, (Fig. 6), the same being equipped, ifdesired, with a one way valve preventing inflow when the plane settleson the water. I

' What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an airplane havi'ng landing wheels, floats foralightingsaid alrplane on water and provided with housings to receivesaid landing wheels, means h for raising and lowering said floatsrelative 6.0 to said landing wheels to expose the landing wheels'belowthe floats or to entirely house thejwheels withinthe floats, saidhousings the landing wheelsincluding wells withn'thefloats open at'thebottom for the proeotlon of the wheels and closures for saidbottomopenings'automatically operable in comprising a land supporting meansthe raising and lowering of the floats to open and close said wheelwells.

I x '2. Amphibian landing gear for air vessels, comprising land supportsfor alighting said vessel on land and supports for alighting saidvesselon Water, said latter'supports having housings for the landsupports and mounted for vertical movement on the vessel relative to theland supports to expose or cover said land supports at will, said watersupports consisting of floats having wells for the land supports andmeans for automatically open- .ing said wells for the protrusion of theland movements over said wheel posts, each float having a well about thebottom opening for housing the wheel carried by the post and means forraising and lowering said floats at will to expose or to cover thewheels.

4. In combination with an airplane of the land type equipped withlanding wheels and posts carrying the same, floats, one for each wheeland guided for vertical lifting and loweringmovement-s over said wheelposts, each float having a well for housing the wheel carried by thepost, means for raising and lowering said floats at will-to expose ,orto cover the wheels, the wheel wells being open through the bottoms of.the floats, doors for 1 closing said bottom openings in the floats and5. In combination, an airplane having I landing wheels and floats forsustaining the plane on land or water, said floats and landing;

wheels being movable relative to each other, the floats having wells toreceive the. landing wheels, said wells being open at the bottom to passthe wheels and equipped with automatic closures and means forautomatically 1 draining said wells when said automatic c10- sures areclosed and the plane steps up preparatory to leaving the water.

6. Amphibian landlng gear for air vessgls, or alighting said vessel onland and a water supporting means for alighting said vessel on water,said water supporting means compris ing a float having a well openthrough the bottom of the same for receiving the land supporting means,means for positively guiding said water supporting means up and downover and about the land supporting means, means for raising, loweringand holding said water supporting means relative to the lung 1 suportingmeans and means for closing porting means for alight'ing said vessel onopening the bottom of the well when the Water supporting means islowered to house the land supporting means or raised to expose the landsupporting means.

7. Amphibian landing gear for'air vessels,

comprising a land supporting means for alighting said vessel on land anda water supmeans for raising. lowering and holding said water supportingmeansrelative to the land supporting means, means for closing andopening the bottom of the well when the water supporting means islowered to house the land supporting means or raised to expose the landsupporting means. said well closing and opening means-including aclosure for the open bottom of the well and actuating mechanism thereforautomatically operable by the raising and lowering movements of thewater supporting means. r

8. In combinatioman air vessel having a dependent landing device, afloat 'for sustaining said air vessel on water, said float having avertically extending well to receive said landing device and open at thebottom to expose the landing device, means operable from the air .vesselfor raising and lowering'said float over the landing device to therebyhouse the landing device within said well or to leave said landingdevice projecting below the well, said raising and lowering meansincluding mechanism for automatically securing the float in raised orlowered positions and closure means for the bottom of the well operableto seal the'landing device within the well when the float is lowered andto expose the landing device when the float is to be raised.

9. In combination, an airplane having a landing device and a float,said. float having a well receiving the landing device and open.

. at the bottom to permit thelanding device to project below the float,means for relatively shifting the float and landing device to effecthousing of the landing device within the well of the float or theexposure of the landing device below the float, a slide closure for thebottom opening of the float and means operable to slide the closure intoclosed position when the landing device is housed within the well and toslide said closure to :open position when the landing device is to beexposed below the float.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN (-1 WORTHINGTON.

